Fish

Please note that this section contains my personal notes from my readings on this topic.

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Since our waters are alarmingly polluted, eating fish (and other seafood) is just as dangerous as eating meat. Their flesh also accumulates and absorbs chemical pollutants, like mercury, organochlorides, PCBs, and others.

In 2001 and again in 2004, when the FDA and EPA issued a fish advisory for kids; pregnant women; breast-feeding moms; and women planning to get pregnant, a brief shadow was cast on seafood. At the time, it was suggested that these groups should severely limit their intake of canned tuna and completely avoid fish like swordfish and mackerel. But some scientists felt that the advisory was too lenient and that it was more in favor of industry relations than consumer safety. One university toxicology expert resigned from the FDA advisory panel, claiming, “The new recommendations are dangerous to 99% of pregnant women and their unborn children. It seems that one should be more concerned about the health of the future children of this country than the albacore tuna industry.” One in six women in the United States have enough mercury in their blood to put their babies at risk. Mercury can deform fetuses, reduce IQ and motor skills, and cause damage to the central nervous system. Studies revealed that mothers who consumed high amounts of fish had children that were slower to walk and talk.

Feed given to farm-raised salmon has high levels of chemical pollutants, making them practically toxic in comparison to ocean-caught fish (which are also polluted). Farmed Salmon are also fed artificial dyes to make them appear pink like wild salmon, instead of the unnatural, murky gray color they actually are.